A trip down memory lane...

A trip down memory lane... sort of haha, I'm always at my old school a few times a year. For more than two years, I've been going to school for an English Improvement Program for the current form 5 kids. I'll be honest, initially when I started joining the program back in 2012, I wanted to have something extra for my university life, as in something I can show to my future employers that I'm not the only study day and night sort of dude. Though after joining so many times, it is more than just something to fill in the resume, it is something I really enjoy doing, over and over again. Over the years, I've met many people and made many friends. I also made very close friends which I really enjoy hanging out with, I really love it when they share their experience and advises. 

There is always a theme for each session, I, myself have also organized a theme, which was the music theme. Even though there was doubts in the beginning, but the more experience people gave their advise and guidance, it worked out well. So the theme for this session was on interviews. Quite interesting for me too actually, I am also in the phase of waiting for my own interview haha

Anyway, I drove all the way from Johor Bahru to Muar. I reached Muar around 4 oclock. I walked around the school and hung out at my old classroom.

They have a hollywood sign now, looks quite classy haha

My old classroom when I was in Form 5

They painted it dark red -_-

Panorama Shot

I saw this on one of the classes. Kids nowadays -_-

The others guys arrived an hour later, we had our briefing while having early dinner at the mee bandung warung nearby. After having dinner we went to baskin robbins to have some ice cream! Hisyam belanja haha

The program started at 8PM. Firstly, they had a briefing on CV/Resume and then the do's and dont's of interviews.

Mr.Hisyam, the founder.

A newcomer, Afiq

There were also two other guys that joined us, Afif and Solihin, I dont have any photos of them :( sorry guys,

The shirt says it all

After discussion on the two topics, the students were divided into a group of 3 and had mock group interviews. The group that I got were the kids who had programs with me before and I recognize many of them. After having the group interview session, honestly, these kids are very talented, smart and full of potential. Though they still have that social anxiety of doing something out of the norm, afraid of being different, afraid of making mistakes, but its okay, life will teach you valuable lessons sooner or later. I have faith in you kids. 

Still lost hahaha

Mass selfie is a must

After the program ended, the norm is we facilitators went out for late dinner. Later on that night, we just hung out at the dormitory with the kids. I fed some turtles.

The next morning we went out for breakfast at the usual spot. Since sunday is the new monday for johor, it was an opportunity for us to meet up and catch up stories with the teachers. Luckily the teachers still recognize me though their first words were, why are you fat? haha yes, i've gained roughly 20 kilos since school. The obvious spot for me would me Jabatan Teknikal.

Got to meet up with cikgu salim, cikgu suzana and cikgu noorfadzli there. They are very happy to hear my classmates are doing fine. Teknikal students are a rare species in the school, there are only two classes, so we are easily remembered and we are also notorious for our mischief behaviour haha

The legendary Cikgu Salim

Overall, I am indeed happy with my trip to muar over the weekend. If you are looking forward in joining the next english program, let me know. Do it for the loveeee haha

2 months and counting

It is the 26th of September 2014, 6;51 AM. I havent had any sleep last night, I tried, but I just ended up browsing through random stuff and read some useful articles (sort of) and a book. While I am writing this post, I split my monitor into two. One side is currently playing a movie recommended by a veteran movie watcher friend of mine, Sheikh Ahmad Arif, the movie is, "The Fault In Our Stars". I am up to 40 minutes at the moment and it seems quite interesting and very touching, I kinda got into tears at some part, you just have to watch it yourself haha.Oh, the other side of the screen is the blog post window.

So I am currently through two months of unemployment, I did get one interview so far, but the interview date have not been set yet and I hope it would be at a good time, so that I could fully mentally prepare, I really want this job, it is definitely my destiny. Its not everyday you get to classify something as "Destiny" material. If everything goes through well, I will feel like I've cured ebola.

I've been quite a tough time last week, I'm not interested in explaining unless I meet you in person. So I ended up staying home most of my time and in my room playing destiny or watch dogs. Though, I am at full gear trying to fix my sleeping schedule. Besides that, I get so bored at home, I started studying again, currently I am looking up computer codes, C++ and HTML at the moment. I am planning to go through fluid dynamics and thermodynamics. My brain needs engineering refreshments haha.

I read a book on the science behind addiction once. So basically whatever you enjoy doing and addicted to it, such as social networking, video games reading or whatsoever, its actually the same addicted to nicotine or whatever drugs. So you are the kind that checks your phone every five minutes for social networking or whatsoever, you really got some issues going up in your head haha. 

So after graduation, my head is sort of feeling a bit on the way to sober.From what you may ask? probably the engineering stuff. Well I was the sort of study nerd, not the anti social sort of type (I was also a part time lifeguard (read:baywatch)). Right now, I need the study stimulant back haha.

This upcoming saturday, which is tomorrow, I am going to my alma mater Sekolah Menengah Sains Muar (SAMURA) for the English Improvement Training program. So the topic for the upcoming session would be on interviews. (the irony eh? haha) hope it would be good for the kids and it would be good for me too.

Right now I am at 1 hour and 5 minutes through the movie haha. Anyway a blog post is incomplete without a photo, so here's a photo

Part 5: Merdeka! in Krabi

Some period of time ago, before I went to Krabi, I looked up instagram and saw Ted's instagram that he went hiking and up top he wore baju melayu and held a flag of gaza. So I told Ted and Yan, since we're going to Krabi on merdeka, so why dont we show our love to the country by bringing our baju melayu and baju melayu and take a photo with the malaysian flag? and so we did.

At first it was just the three of us and a monopod with my Fuji camera at the end of it. Then we sort of feel that we should do something more. So Ted came up with the idea, hey lets do something crazy, lets walk up to random malaysians around the aonang strip and take a photo with them (it was the eve of merdeka of course). We were quite shy at first, wearing baju melayu and walking around aonang on a saturday night haha But Yan, was the first one that walked up to some random malaysian group when they were shopping and nicely asked them to take a photo with us with the national flag. So that night I sort of discovered that, for any project or cause, there are always three parties, the one giving the idea, the one executing the idea and lastly, the one tagging along and give support (that would be me of course), After taking photos with a few groups, it was a breeze to walk up to random malaysians and take a photo with 'em. Oh on that particular time, monday was a holiday for malaysians, so there were many malaysians that took a quick holiday to krabi.

As soon as we walked along the aonang strip to take photos with malaysians, the great thing was, while we were taking photos, malaysians that saw us came up to us and wanted to join us, so the it just got bigger and bigger. There was even an english guy that wanted to join us for the photo and wished us happy independence and a malay guy shook is hands and said, thank you for giving us independence, we all broke out in laughter.

So this is the group before the english guy joined

There is the english guy on the right, seems he's having fun haha

The shopkeeper got excited after seeing us taking a photo with our flag in front of his shop, he wanted to take a photo with us with the thailand flag (thai guy on the left)

1 Malaysia hehe

Well thats a wrap for my Krabi blog post series. The next day I head up to Penang with Ted to stay with my relatives there for a few days and Yan headed back to KL. 

Happy Independence Day Malaysians. Remember, loving this country is not merely holding a flag and take a photo with it and post it to instagram. It is about your contributions, your lifetime contributions for the country. Paying taxes is also a form of contribution. Being nice in traffic, being nice to others and many others. Even cleaning up and not littering around is a patriotic act. All the small things which could sum up for a better Malaysia, for now and the future.

Thanks for reading :) 

Part 4: The Emerald Pool

For our third day in Krabi, we went to the emerald pool The emerald pool is basically a sort of river source or some sort which flows through the forest. The forest is called emerald pool (well that it said on the signboard lol) The place is situated around 60 km from the Ao Nang beach. To get there, there are many packages offered around aonang by travel agents. and even taxi drivers. You can also get there by motorcycle which starts at 150 Baht per 24 hours (depending on the type of bike, there are superbikes available if you are up for it). There are also other attractions around the area, such as hot spring and waterfall if i'm not mistaken.

As you enter the place (yes they will take photos of you, i covered myself with an umbrella), it has many trails that leads up to the first pool, where you can bathe there. If you go further up the trail, around 800m from the first pool, you will be up for a surprise (which i will explain later). The trail however, was a majestic experience. There are 2 trails to choose from if i'm not mistaken which leads up to the first pool. We took the small narrow one.

Two roads leading to the same place and another which i have no idea what sra krew was lol

These images are majestic aint it? So we walked walked and walked around a kilometer plus and reached the first pool, or the public bath i would like to call it.

When we reached the public bath, it was raining like cats and dogs. So we continued our journey for another 800m the reach the "emerald pool". The trail was partially cement, the rest, you have to go through a jungle. 

Voila!

Luckily when we reached there it wasnt raining anymore. The pool looks beautiful, but you cant bathe in it, the ground underneath is quicksand or quicksoil or somewhat. Here are more photos.(oh, if you want to see a video of the pool from inside, visit my instagram: idzham ).

My verdict, if you are in krabi, YOU MUST GO TO THE EMERALD POOL! After going to the pool, we had dip in the public bath.

He put sand in my hair

After going to the emerald pool, we head to the beach to see the sunset, sort of haha

Stay tuned for my merdeka post :)